10 Things I Think I Think About Granite Creek

In a hat tip to one of my favorite sports writers, Peter King who writes for Sports Illustrated, I wrote “10 Things I Think I Think About Wayne” a few weeks ago (the post contains spoilers).

I thought I’d do it again, but this time I’d provide a more general version of 10 things I think I think about What Happened in Granite Creek (WHIGC). I’m going to answer some of the questions I’ve had in my own head since completing the novel.

SPOILER ALERT: Back away slowly from this blog post if you haven’t already read What Happened in Granite Creek.

If Koty had made it to Jamie’s house on that fateful night, would Jamie have taken her in? Yes. He’d have stood up to his mother as well.
Would Koty have lied about how she got injured? She would have told Jamie the truth about Iris, but not about what Wayne had done. And she’d lie about all of it to everyone else in order to protect Iris (as well as Rosie and Daisy from the truth about what their father had done).
Would Koty have left her family for good? She’d have left Wayne, but not her kids. I think she would have filed for divorce, gotten custody of the kids (and would have made a deal with Wayne that she wouldn’t tell anyone what he did to her if he didn’t fight her for custody), and made a life with Jamie. I don’t think Wayne would have survived this ultimately (he would have snapped for good by drinking himself to death or committing suicide). In a way, Koty’s death saved Wayne.
Would Koty and Jamie have lasted? That’s a good question. I think yes, although it would have been hard.
Would Rosie have developed a crush on Jamie if Koty had survived? I don’t think so. However, I do think Rosie would have developed an attraction to those with disabilities (see my post on devoteeism here).
Will Iris ever remember what really happened? She already has, but she’s been conditioned to believe it’s a false memory. I don’t think anything — even something like hypnosis — would make her believe that memory. Unless, of course, she time travels. Hmm.
Does Barbara Briggs ever confess to Jamie about what happened? Nope. She takes it to her grave.
Does anyone, like Detective Panzieri, ever debunk the serial killer claim? No. Detective Panzieri believes Wayne was involved in Koty’s murder, but he has no way of proving it and no reason to pursue his theory further since the case is closed. It bothers him, of course, but he doesn’t see Wayne as a threat to society at this point.
How did Hank dispose of the body? Despite all of Hank’s idiotic statements, he’s not stupid. And he’s loyal to his family, especially Wayne. He’s extremely methodical and careful in how and where he disposed the body. He knows Maine, he knows the land, he knows how to hunt (and how not to be seen), he doesn’t ever panic, and he’s aware that a serial killer is on the loose.
The story isn’t over. I’ll explain more in Thursday’s post, so stay tuned.